j GLENl^Y'S IDATECHISM OF GARDENING I C'1',7 A'NI'. G I ^' S T R U C T I N S I ilR THE OPuUurc of Ftgctabks ant( JFruit ^rtf$ Axn xaaAN^BD vur l;-)TTI SF.XES. I ;.TT .• . r, 1 ! REV. J. EDWARDS, M.A, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAION CPLA. CPU Of THE UNIVERSITY OF lUINOIS GLENNY'S « .CATECHISM OF GARDENING, COXTAIMXG INSTRUCTIONS Culture Df ?l^^gBt(ibks ani |ruit €ut$, AND ARRANGED lOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS OF BOTH SEXES. .th) . bet B^' T"E J iiif REV. J. EDWARDS, M.A. ^' eS] TRINITY COLLEGE. CAMBRIDGE. AKDKIXG's COLLEGE, I.OKP.O.V. ai]( ♦,^3 fuonb 6bition. ant • ij LOJs'DOX: ;5of G. COX, 15, KIKG STREET, COVEKT GA]U>EX. [}m) Price Is., sewed ; as a pocket-book, with pencil and memoranda paper, 2-5. 6d. Post free, 6(L extra each. GLENNY'S GARDEN ALMANACK, AND florist's DIRECTORY, Containing directions for the management of an amateur Garden during the vear; Lists of the best show Flowers, Fruits, Plants, and Vegetables ; London Provincial Nurseries, New Flowers, Plants, &c. London: GEORGE COX, 18, King Street, Covent Garden. . Q^Ac-^ VJ PREFACE. j ■ * The name of Mk. Glenn y wlU be a sufficient warrant ^'for the accuracy, in a practical point of view, of every remark made and every rule laid down in tlie following pages. My object has been to embody these remarks and ^ rules in such language as would, in my judgment, render 'them easily intelligible to the thoughtful reader; and I ^^shaU be thankful, if it be found that I have not failed in *^this really important object. The catechetical form has ^been adopted, as the medium of conveying the proposed c^ information to the reader, because the book is intended ^especially for the instruction of our youth of both sexes ; and this form of question and answer appeared most likely ♦-^0 admit of the adaptation of the subject to their habits of -^bought and observation. Not but that the general reader omay find an interest in the perusal of these pages, if he f^esire to become acquainted, if not famOiar, with the first principles at least of a very important branch of scientific ^ ^and practical knowledge. _^ To another class of persons, too, it is hoped that this ^ little work may prove especially useful ; I mean, to those flj of our countrymen who are emigrating to other parts of a2 ? ^oo IV PREFACE. the world. Whatever else may be their occupations, the successful culture of the garden will assuredly be one of their first objects ; and the rules embodied in this Cate- chism, divested as they are as much as possible of technical and scientific language, and. condensed within a moderate range of space, wiU, it is hoped, enable them to proceed safely and happily in this part of their undertaking. Of course, in this case, every allowance wiU be made for change of place and climate; the chief point being thi?^ that, if the principles here laid down be well understood the management of a garden may be successfully undertaken in any place, under ordinarily favourable circumstances, by any intelligent man. Whatever else may be the sentiments of the reader, I humbly trust that he will be led, in reflecting upon the blessings wliich he will here learn are placed within his reach, to a sense of deep gratitude for these His mercies, to the AH- Wise and the AU-Good ; and that he may, as a dependent creature, be happily impressed with the earnest conviction, that tliough one may plant and another may water, it is God alone that giveth the abundant increase. J. E. London, May, 1849. GLENNY'S CATECHISM OF GARDENING. Q. What is a garden ? A. A garden is a plot or piece of ground culti- vated either for profit or for pleasure. Q. What is the object or design of a garden ? A. The cultivation and production of fruit, flowers, plants, or vegetables, or some, or all of them. Q. May not all the productions of gardens be called " vegetables ? " A. Strictly speaking, they may be, and, indeed, they are so called. Q. How then are they to be distinguished ? A. By an accurate description of the properties of each. Q. What is meant by the term " fruit ? " A. Fruit is well understood to mean those parts of the plant which contain the seed : as apples, pears, pkims, cherries, peaches, and similar productions, which are for the most part eaten without the necessity of cooking. Q. What is understood by " flowers ? " A. The terra *' flower " is applied to that class of A 3 6 CATECHIS3I OF GARDENING. plants which, though a portion of the vegetable kingdom, are esteemed ouly for the beauty of their bloom, or the delicacy of their fragrance. Q. What, then, is meant by the term " plant ? " A. The term " plant," as applied specially to the objects cultivated in a garden, represents that class grown for their ornamental qualities ; many of them being valued for properties quite irrespective of their flowers. Q. K all these productions are, strictly speaking, vegetables, what are we to understand most especially by this term ? A. The term " vegetable " is, by universal con- sent, applied, in an especial manner, to those plants the substance of which furnishes man with food, either cooked before it is eaten : as cabbages, carrots, potatoes, beans, peas, &c., or eaten raw, as lettuces, radishes, cress, &c., which latter are often called " salads." Q. What is gardening ? ' A. Gardening is the art of rearing and cultivating select vegetable productions, so as to cause them to attain a greater state of beauty and of usefulness, tlian they are capable of attaining in their natural state. Q. How is this to be accomplished ? A. By supplying to each kind of plant the con- ditions and circumstances best adapted to its in- dividual nourishment. For, in the state of nature^ that is, in the uncultivated state, plants must all fare alike ; except that, where the conditions of a locality are such as will kill them, they are soon lost to that locality; but where the conditions are highly favourable to their growth, there they flourish. CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 7 Q. Do jou mean, then, to infer, that where a particular locality agrees with a plant, it will grow as well without the aid of art as with it ; — that is to saj, that it will become as fine in the qualities which would recommend it, as if it were reared and culti- vated in a garden ? A. No. Gardening always possesses one great advantage over unaided nature ; for we are merci- fully enabled to modify unfavourable conditions of season and climate ; in the case of long continued dry weather, for instance, by watering plants, — by covering them in the event of severe frosts, — and by counteracting, in a great measure, the effects of excessive wet. - Q. What are the principal operations in gar- dening ? * A. Digging, trenching, ridging, hoeing, drilling, raking, sowing, planting, pruning, earthing, manur- ing, and watering. Q. What are the implements used in these operations ? A. A spade, digging fork, hoe, rake, trowel, dibble, watering can, and pruning knife. Q. What is "digging?" A. " Digging " is turning over the earth with a spade, from the depth to which the blade of that implement will penetrate. Q. How is this operation performed ? A. The blade of tlie spade being thrust into the ground in a slightly slanting direction, the handle is forced back ; and the soil thus loosened is lifted out, by placing the left hand close to the blade, and the other hand upon the end of the handle, and raising the body a Httle. The spade-full of earth thus 8 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. lifted is, by a twist of the hand, turned completely over, so that a fresh surface of soil is exposed. Q. You just now mentioned a spade ; what is a spade ? A. A kind of shovel with a flat iron blade longer than it is wide, fixed to a strong handle, about as long as a walking-stick. Q. How would you set about digging a piece of ground ? A. I should dig out the soil, one spade in width and one spade in depth, along one end of the piece ; which soil I should wheel at once to the other end of the ground intended to be dug. Q. What then ? A. Then turning my face to the gutter which I had thus made, and taking a spade-full of earth from the undug part, I should turn it over into the first gutter, and continue this through the whole length of the gutter. Q. Do you mean that you would immediately fill up the gutter or channel you had made ? A. I should fill the first gutter up with the mould dug from the second, which I should again fill by digging a third gutter, and continuing this back- wards, till I came to the last gutter of all, I should fill that up with the soil I had at first wheeled from the other end ; and then all the ground would be loosened or " dug." Q. You would then merely loosen the soil, and make a fresh surface : is it so ? A. That would not be sutficient ; for I should also pulverize or break the lumps of earth, and level the surface as I proceeded with the " digging," especially if the ground were intended to be soon sown or planted. CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 9 Q. Tell me the object and advantages of this dio-gmcr ? DO C5 A. First, it loosens the ground so that rain can penetrate it; secondly, it admits air to the whole depth to which we dig ; and, thirdly, it enables the fibres of plants to grow into it freely, and the rain to follow them. Q. What is " trenching ?'* A. *' Trenching" is deep digging ; that is, in i' trenching," instead of confining the operation to one spade in depth, we go twice that depth, and perhaps more. To trench, we must mark out, at one end of the ground, a space three feet in width, and then dig out one spade's-depth of earth the whole width marked out ; we must then dig in the same place, another spade's-depth all over the bottom, so that we make an opening or trench three times as wide, and twice as deep as the gutter or channel in ordinary digging. Q. What do you do with the earth thus"* taken out? A. It is wheeled to the opposite end of the ground, the lower spade's-depth being kept separate from the first or upper spade's-depth of soil. Q. What is the next part of the process ? A. Having formed the trench, we mark out an equal width next to it, and first dig away the top spade's-depth over that piece, throwing the soil into the bottom of the first trench ; then we dig out the bottom spade's-depth, and with it fill up the first trench completely ; this leaves a trench empty. This is continued to the end of the work, when we fill up the last trench by throwing into the bottom the soil wheeled from the top of the first trench, 10 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. and next throwing on the top, the soil brought away from the bottom. Q. Is this the only method of trenching ? A. No. Sometimes, after the first trench has been dug out one spade in depth, it is found desir- able to dig up the next spit, or spade's- depth, and to leave it in the bottom without removing it. Q. What are the objects and advantages of trenching ? A. To admit the air into the soil, double the depfr?i to which it would be admitted by digging only, and to allow the rain to percolate or enter with freedom so much lower. This is desirable in all cases, whether the soil be reversed or not ; but when it is reversed, that is, when the lower soil is brought to the top, and the top soil thrown into the bottom, the object is to give the plants the benefit of fresh soil, which, having lain below the level where the roots ordinarily reached, has been resting. Q. Why is not the soil always reversed in trenching ? A. Because it sometimes happens that good soil is not thicker than one spade's-depth, and that the earth beneath is unfavourable to the growth of plants. Q. How then are such soils benefited by trench- ing ? A. Because the lower portion of soil, though not changed in position, is loosened, and the air and rain are admitted equally as though it were changed. Besides, a little of the inferior soil being at each trenching incorporated with the upper and better soil, the depth of good soil is gradually and perma- nently increased. CATECHISM OP GARDENING. 11 Q. What is "ridging?" A. "Ridging" is laying the soil in alternate . lines of hill and dale, or bank and gutter. This is done by taking the soil from one space and putting it on another adjoining ; so that a whole piece seems as if laid out in stripes or banks on a small scale, and, of course, gutters between them. Q. What is this done for in general, and in what seasons ? « A. To allow the effects of weather to operate on the soil more forcibly. It is generally done in winter, that the whole mass may be more entirely frozen through ; or, at any rate, that the frost may penetrate beneath a larger surface, because the ac- tion of frost is of great service to all kinds of soil. Q. Is there no other object in ridging the soil ? A. It is sometimes done on very light soil, that plants may be grown along the bottom, between the ridges, where they are less exposed to di'ought ; and sometimes in wet soil, that the crops may be grown along the tops of the ridges, where the roots would be drier than if the surface were level. Q. How is the ground managed, after the frost has had its effect, and has gone by ? A. It is levelled ; and it is then ready for crops, just as if it had not been in ridges. Q. You mentioned the digging fork as being sometimes used in performing the foregoing opera- tions : what kind of implement is that ? A. It is like a spade, except that the entire blade of the spade is replaced by three or four narrow prongs of metal. The outline is exactly that of a spade. Q. What is "hoeing?" 12 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. A. " Hoeing " is stirring the soil with a small instrument called a hoe. Q. What kind of implement is the hoe ? A. The hoe is a small thin plate of steel, usually broader than it is deep, fixed by means of an eye- socket transversely at the end of a long handle, the cutting edge slightly inclined towards the handle. Q. How is it used ? A. If you force the hoe, with a chopping cut, under the surface of the soil, you stir the soil, and thus cut off anything that is growing. With the hoe you can also dra^v the earth towards you into ridges or mounds ; or make small holes or gutters with it, the latter being done by means of the angular corner of the hoe. Q. What is the object in hoeing ? A. Various objects are accomplished by hoeing. One is, merely to stir the earth so as to open the surface of the soil, and to admit air to the roots of plants ; another is, to chop off anything that is growing where it is not wanted ; another is, to form channels in which seeds may be deposited, which is called " drill-sowing." Q. When is it desirable to chop or hoe off plants that are growing ? A. In all cases, where unprofitable weeds are crowding useful plants, and taking away their nou- rishment ; and also, where plants are coming up too thickly, and are therefore crowding one another. The plants and weeds, so chopped up, are either left to die on the surface, or are to be removed at once. Q. Is crowding then injurious to plants? A. Yes ; it deprives them of the proper degree of light, air. and moisture, necessary to their growth : CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 13 by hoeing out or cutting off the superfluous plants, you secure these advantages to the remainder. Q. What is "raking?" A. " Raking " is combing the surface of the ground with a tool called a rake. Q. What then is a rake ? A. A "rake" is formed of a thin bar of metal, into which flat teeth are inserted at intervals ; this bar is set transversely at the end of a long handle. ♦ Q. What are the objects in using the rake, — that is, in " raking ? " A. The rake is used to level the surface of the ground, to draw off large lumps and stones, to col- lect weeds and rubbish after hoeing ; and, generally, to pulverize the surface for various purposes, espe- cially after seed-sowing. Q. Why do you rake after sowing seed ? A. Because the seed has to be covered with soil. After sprinkling the seeds all over a plane surface, by raking backwards, forwards, and across, for some time alternately, you form little gutters in the soil, and fill them up again. Through this operation, the seeds first falling into these hollows, and then getting covered by the continuance of the action of the rake, become fairly imbedded in the earth. Q. What is " drilling ? " A. " Drilling " is making small gutters in the earth, in regular rows, of different depths, and at different distances, according to the purposes in view. Q. How are these gutters formed ? A. By means of the angular corner of the hoe, which is drawn along the ground, and which under a lighter or heavier pressure forms a shallower or deeper 14 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. gutter. The Iioe is gaided in a straight direction by the garden line. When one drill is made, the line is removed at both ends, and again set at the dis- tance at which the drills are to be apart; then another is drawn : this is continued, until the number of drills required is completed. Q. What is the garden line ? A. A cord, of the thickness of a quill, and, when in use, stretched tight between two iron or wooden pins thrust into the ground. It is more complete when one end is attached to a spiked reel on which it is wound when not in use. Q. Mention some of the purposes of drilling ? A. Many seeds require to be sown in drills ; and the larger the seeds the deeper must be the drills, which must also be wider apart as the plant is taller. Drills are sometimes drawn very shallow, merely to mark the ground for planting, it being necessary to guide the planter in the marking of proper distances and even lines. Q. What is " sowing ? " A. The act of committing seeds to the earth. Q. Are there different modes of sowing ? A. Yes, several ; such as " broadcast," " dib- bling," and " sowing in drills." Q. How do you sow " broadcast ? " A. Sowing broadcast is sprinkling the seed by hand evenly over a plane surface. You must first stir the earth, that you may have some degree of moisture brought to the top to encourage the seed to vegetate ; next rake it so as to be level ; then sprinkle as evenly as possible the seed all over it. You then take the rake, and, without thrusting its teeth very deep into the earth, you keep moving the CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 15 upper half-incL. of soil backwards and forwards and transversely, till the seeds are covered. Q. What is "dibbHng?" A. " Dibbling " is making holes to receive the seed ; and is generally adopted in the case of sowing large seeds. Q. Describe the operation. A. Dibbling is performed by hand, or by machine. Hand-dibbling is done by thrusting a dibble, or ', and to cut out large quantities of mere brushwood, which will never bear, and which will only choke the bearing branches, keeping out air and sun from the centre of the tree, and weakening the growth of the more healthy parts. ® CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 39 Q. Do you recommend severe pruning, then ? A. Yes ; sometimes it would be desirable even to go so far as to cut back the tree to a mere skeleton, and let it make new growth ; and cases may occur, when it would be better to graft the tree with a better sort of fruit. Q. How is this "grafting" to be done ? A. By cutting a part of the remaining branches in such way that a branch, or rather a small shoot, of •another and better sort can be fitted to it, then binding the two together, and surrounding the place of union with some kind of mixture to keep the air away. Q. What mixture will do this ? A. Grafting clay, which is made of two-thirds strong adhesive clay, and one-third cow-dung ; these are to be pounded or beaten together till they are perfectly mixed, and can be moulded into a lump, to enclose the graft. Q. Is this the only rtiaterial that can be used ? A. It is the simplest and most easily obtained ; but there is also grafting wax, which is made of one part resin to two parts bee's-wax, warmed and mixed together, and then tempered with tallow till the mass will melt under a slight heat, and become hard when cooled. This is laid on with a brush all over the wounded part ; or it may be spread on rags, and strapped round the join in strips like a plaster. Q. Are there many ways of grafting ? A. Yes ; as many as there are ways of making two pieces of wood of the same or different sizes fit together. If the branch and the graft are of the same size, you may graft in as many ways as you could splice a broken stick, provided you make some part of the bark of one touch some part of the bark 40 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. "^ of tlie other, where botli are cut; for unless the two barks are made to touch each other, that is, to meet close somewhere, no union of the part will take place. Q. Is not this very difficult when the tree is large, and the piece to be grafted on is very small ? A. It is then more difficult certainly ; but in this case it may be done in another way. Q. Explain this 'wny. A. An angular gutter or hollow^ can be cut down the bark of the large stem, and the piece, which is to be grafted in, cut to fit in it, by making tw^o sides of it ansrular so as to match the hollow Hrst made in the branch ; thus the bark of the graft will be even with the bark of the tree. Q. Tlien you contemplate fixing the graft directly on the large branches ? A. Not exactly so ; the tree need not be cut back too much : some healthy young shoots with smooth bark should be left to graft on ; while the more branches are grafted the sooner the tree is renewed. Q. Could not many different sorts be grafted on one tree ? A. Certainly. The only point to be careful about, in this respect, is, to choose different sorts of about the same liabit, and to avoid placing a very rapid grower and a slow grower, or a strong and a weakly kind, together. Q. Will this operation of grafting apply alike to all trees ? A. All trees can be grafted, and the grafts will unite; but it is supposed that plums, cherries, and stone fruit-trees in general do better by budding. In the event, however, of cutting back an old tree, I should graft. CATECHISM OF GAliDENING. 41 Q. What is "budding?" A. The insertion of the bud of one tree under the bark of another tree, and there binding it firmly ; it then unites with, and becomes a part of, the tree into which it is inserted. Q. Is the operation of " budding " difiicult ? A. By ijo means. Q. How is the" bud prepared for insertion ? ^ A. By shaving off a little bit of the wood with a leaf upon it, from a full grown branch of anything you wish to bud into another tree ; for at the base of every leaf there is a bud, which, at Midsummer, can be plainly seen. You cut just through the bark, and pare it off from about half an inch above to half an inch below the leaf ; the leaf is then cut off, leaving its stalk as a handle to the bud. Q. How do you prepare the plant or stock to be budded ? A. By making a slit through the bark of the stem, or of a healthy young branch, cutting no deeper than j ust through, the bark to the wood ; then making another cut across it, but no deeper. The edges of the bark can then be easily raised from the wood, so that the previously prepared bud can be tucked under the bark thus raised, which is then tied down close upon tlie inserted bud. The bud soon attaches itself, and grows as it would upon its own branch. If this is intended to be encouraged instead of the old tree, all the shoots and branches, but this one bud, ought to be cut off. Q. You say the buds can be seen at Midsummer; is that the season for buddins ? A. Yes : fur at that time the bark separates freely from the wood. 42 CATECHISM OF GAKDENING. Q. Is grafting performed at the same season ? A. No : grafting, at least as far as regards hardy fruit-trees, is usually done in March, just as the sap is rising. Q. What Is the purpose of grafting and budding ? A. To change the nature of a tree. When an old tree is operated upon, it is to improve its fruit ; but grafting and budding are also performed, to provide young trees of the finer kinds of fruit. Q. How is this managed ? A. In this way : — Plums of known good quality are budded upon stocks of the wild plum ; apples of fine quality are grafted on wild crab stocks, and 60 with other fruits. Thus, those which would have borne worthless wild fruit, bear only the sorts that are grafted or budded on them ; for tlie wild stock is, in all cases, cut away, as soon as the bud or graft is established. Q. You have recommended certain vegetables, as being highly useful : I wish to know how you cul- tivate them ; and first, tell me about the potato. A. There are many ways of cultivating this useful root. The most simple is to plant them with a wooden dibble, that will make a hole large enougli to hold the potato, and six inches deep ; one potato is dropped into each hole, the earth being pushed down upon it as you go along. The distance between the sets should be nine inches, and the rows two feet apart. Q. What other way is there of planting potatoes ? A. If the ground lies in ridges, plant the sets nine inches apart, at the bottom of the ridge, and with a large hoc draw" down the soil upon them so \as to cover them five or six inches deep. Another CATECHIS:.! OF GARDENING. 43 mode is, to draw deep drills with a large lioe, lay the potatoes at tlie bottom, drawing the earth over them to cover them to the proper depth. Q. Is there any particular way of cultivating for early potatoes ? A. The best plan is to place the potatoes at the foot of a south paling, or wall, and with a spade to cover them with a kind of sloping bank, four or ,five inches thick. Q, Are the potatoes prepared in any way for planting? A. No ; the only observation to be made is that wliole potatoes are better than cut ones. They are selected, in general, smaller than such as are used for the table, and larger than those thrown to the l^igs ; what are called " chats," thrown by for the pigs, may however be used. Q. At what season should they be planted ? A. In autumn, if possible; for this is the most likely way of securing a crop ; first, because the potato has not begun to shoot, which is destruction to it as seed ; and secondly, because then the seed potatoes, as they are called, may be had cheaper, whether they are procured by purchase or by ex- change ; both these points are essential. Q. Do you think the crop sounder, and less liable to be diseased, when planted early ? A. Yes ; but this arises from the fact of the potato not having exhausted itself by growing before it is planted ; and not from the mere fact of its being planted in autumn. Q. If then the seed potatoes are kept without l>ecoming exhausted by premature growth, they may be planted in spring ? 44 CATEOHISM OF GARDENING. A. Yes ; but even tlien tliey should not be put into the ground later than February ; because, after that period, it is all but impossible to prevent their growing. Q. Would it not be proper to provide seed tubers or plants in the autumn, even though the planting of them were deferred till spring ? A. Yes ; for if you have to procure sets in spring, you cannot be certain that they have not sprouted.^ There are annually taken from the pits tliousands of tons of potatoes, grown into a solid mass of roots and shoots, which are rubbed off clean ; and, in this state, the tubers are sold for seed. If they be pro- cured in the autumn, this cannot have been the case. Q. Supposing them to be obtained when the crops are dug, how ought they to be treated ? A. They should be spread out in any dry, cool, airy place, not more than one layer in thickness ; and if any of the eyes start, they must be carefully preserved. Frost, however, must be kept from them? Q. What attention do they require after being put into the ground ? A. When they come up, it may be that they are rather more forward than may be safe ; in this case, if there were but few, I should cover them with litter ; but if the quantity were somewhat great, I would draw earth to them, to cover them up again, and thus save them from the effect of at least mode- rate frost. Generally, however, they do not make their appearance till they are tolerably safe against the effects of severe weather. Q. Is this what is called " earthing up ? " A. No; they require more than this. As soon as CATECniSJI OF GARDENING. 45 thej have grown a few inches, the earth must be di'awn up to their stems, so as to leave only their tops just out of the ground ; they must then be kept well hoed, and clear from weeds, and in about a month must have a second earthing, and then left till the haulm dies down. Q. Would the early ones, which I spoke of as being planted under the wall, require the same treatment ? A, No ,• they would appear much earlier, and should be earthed up in the same way as the others as soon as they had grown enough ; but at any rate be sure to cover them with pea-haulm, or with straw, whenever there is any risk of frost, which of course there would be as late as May. Q. Is, then, planting in autumn preferable, en- tirely on the ground of making sure that tlie potatoes are sound, and have not grown ? A. Yes ; and if, in this respect, the sets could be relied on, it would matter but little how late they were planted. Q. Are not potatoes sometimes planted late in summer, so as to be dug up fresh for use in autumn and winter ? A. Yes ; Chapman's kidney potato is sometimes planted as late as July, and the produce dug up as new potatoes all the winter ; but, in this case, the seed tubers are exposed to the cold dry winds, and everything but frost, wet, and warmth, from the time they are dug up in November, till they are planted, at which time many have not even started their eyes. Q. How would you prevent the frost from in- juring these ? A. I would continue to earth them up durino' all 46 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. the time thej continue growing ; and when the frost took the haulm, I would pull it all off, and put six inches more soil on the top, so that the frost could not reach the tubers. I should take them up as I wanted them. Q. Is this treatment peculiar to Chapman's potato ? A. I have known others to be tried, but tliej Iiave proved watery or waxy compared with Chapman's. Q. What is the best method of preserving store potatoes ? A. Pitting them is the most common method, and many will keep well so ; but a dry storehouse is better for the purpose. It is true they lose weight ; but many persons think them all the better for losing the moisture. In a dry cold cellar, which the frost cannot reach, they may be preserved better than in any other situation I know of ; but they must be occasionally turned over, and should not lie in too large heaps. Q. Can potatoes be raised from seed ? A. Yes. Q. Do the seedlings produce a crop the first year ? A. By sowing the seed in a hot-bed in February, potting off the plants one in a pot, and growing them in cold sheltered frames till the middle of May, and then turning out the balls and placing a foot apart in rows two feet apart, a full crop may be had the first year, and many new varieties will frequently be found on taking them up. Q. You recommend peas for cultivation. IIow should they be grown ? A. A few single rows should be sown at different parts of the garden in preference to sowing them together in a plot. CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 47 Q. When should they be sown ? A. In February ; and when they are well out of the ground, they must be earthed up, and sticks should be placed to them. Q. Are peas a profitable crop ? A. On the score of economy I do not recommend them to be eaten green, so much as to be gathered ripe, because there are plenty of vegetables besides peas, when they come in green ; but as ripened stock, they may be preserved for years, and be good as food. Q. Do you consider the dwarfs or the tall sorts of peas best for cottagers ? A. The dwarfs, because the cost of the long sticks is very considerable, and the difference of quality does not compensate for it. Q. How would you sow peas ? A. In drills drawn three inches deep, the peas being laid at the bottom one inch apart, and the earth being drawn in upon them so as to bury them two inches deep. Q. How would you manage with the carrot crop ? A. This very useful root should be sown on ground previously trenched. After raking the sur- face smooth, the seeds should be sown as thinly and as evenly as possible, in shallow drills. Q. Are not the seeds troublesome to sow ? A. Yes ; they stick together a good deal, but the best way to obviate this, is to get some sand, and rub them in it till you have rubbed down the roughness which made them adhere, and then to sow the sand and the seed together. Q. What next? A. The se.ed is then to be covered in about an inch 48 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. or ratlier less. When it comes up, and has grown a little, the weeds and the carrots too must be hoed out, so that the carrots may be left at three or four inches apart. In about three weeks they require to be hoed again, both to get rid of weeds and to cut out any straggling carrots that may be crowding the others. Q. Are not the young carrots useful ? A. As soon as they are large enough, the thinnings may be used as a present supply ; the remaining plants must be left at six or seven inches apart. Q. At what season should they be sown ? A. One crop should be sown in March, and ano- ther at the end of April : the first an early kind, the second a large kind. The first serves all the sum- mer ; the others are taken up to be preserved in earth or sand through the winter. Q. How do you cultivate the parsnip ? A. In all respects in the same way as the carrot, except that, being a larger root, it requires more room. The distance between the plants should be nine inches every way, and the crop must be kept very clear of weeds. Q. The beet-root is of the same habit as the par- snip. Do you give it the same treatment ? A. It can be grown in the same way ; and if there be room, it comes the finer and often the more tender for being undisturbed ; but, with care, it can be sown and planted out. Q. "When are these root crops gathered in ? A. In the autumn, when they are full grown, and generally before the frost comes on with severity. Q. How do you recommend the onion to be grown ? CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 49 A. Begin by dunging the ground well, mixing the dung thoroughly with the top spit of soil : then sow the seed thinly, as well as shallow in the soil ; and let the sowing be as regular as possible. Q. At what season ? A. In March and April. Q. How thickly should the seeds be sown ? A. If it were practicable to place a seed at every six inches, it would be quite right to do so ; but as it must be wasted, waste as few as you can. The plants have to be hoed out, and left six inches apart every way ; they must be hoed too, three or four times in the season, to prevent the w^eeds from over- running them. Some leave them rather thicker, for the sake of drawing out the overplus for spring onions. They may be watered while young, but not when they have begun to grow in earnest. Q. When are they to be taken up ? A. As soon as their leaves turn yellow, they may be drawn, and laid in the sun to harden and ripen. When quite dry they should be stored in a cool dry place, free from exposure to frost and damp, both of which are destructive to them. Q. Are they not sometimes sown in the autumn ? A. Yes : sometimes they are sown in August on poor ground, and allowed to ripen, as if for pickling. They are then planted out like other bulbs in the spring, on rich land, and occasionally form extraor- dinary roots or bulbs. They may be also sown as salad onions, to be drawn like spring ones, nearly all the year round. Q. Are leeks grown like onions ? A. No ; they are almost always grown in rows planted out from a patch of seed. They are sown E 50 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. in March, and planted out as soon as they are large enough, about six inches apart, in single rows here and there about the garden. They are the better for being earthed up after they have grown strong, and then they are allowed to stand till they are wanted. - Q. What is the usual practice in growing the cabbage tribe ? A. Cabbages are sown and planted out at all times of the year, but the principal crops are sown in August and early spring. These plants are, how- ever, used so generally, that many persons sow a pinch of seed in each of the months from February or March until August. Q. How ought the plants to be treated ? A. As soon as they are so far grown as to have formed four rough leaves, they should be " pricked " out six inches apart one way, and three inches the other. Q. What is meant by " pricking out ?" A. " Pricking out " is a kind of temporary set- ting of the young plants, when they first come up, and while they are yet too small for the process of being finally transplanted. Q. What is the object of " pricking out ?" A. Merely that they may grow a little strong before being permanently planted out ; and they are planted out from time to time as the ground is ready or they are required. Q. Can cabbages be used as food at any stage of their growth. A. It is a general practice to eat, while they are young, as many cabbage plants as it may be right to leave to become full grown cabbages. CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 51 Q. In being transplanted do they require much space ? A. Plant them for economy of room in rows from eighteen inches to two feet apart, and the plants six inches apart in the row. Two out of three may be drawn, in different stages of their growth, to be eaten as greens, one out of every three being thus left undisturbed, to come to heart. Q. How are they further managed ? A. They should be earthed up as soon after planting out as they begin to grow. At whatever time ground is vacant, a safe planting of cabbages may be made, and therefore one can hardly mention any month that would be improper for either sowing or planting cabbages. Q. Is there any different treatment wanted for the red cabbage ? A. Yes : in planting them out, a row should be put here and there, not two rows together. Plant them out within a foot of each other, and, when they have grown so as to be almost touching each other, dig out every other one, and make an- other row of those that have been so dug out, placing them at two feet apart, in both cases, and earthing them well up the stems. Q. Can they be safely transplanted, when of such a size ? A. The removed plants will often gain the advan- tage. Of course the transplanting must be done with some care. Q. Do they not require very rich ground ? A. The ground should be well dunged for the cabbage tribe in general, but especially for the red c2 52 CATECniSil OF GARDENING. cabbage, which grows to a great size, and remains on the ground a long time. Q. What is the proper season for sowing these red cabbages ? A. They may be sown at any time, and will require to be pricked out like other cabbages. When strong enough, they should be planted, as I have already said, in a row here and a row there, and not all together in one quarter of the ground. Q. What is the savoy ? A. The gavoy is one of the cabbage tribe ; it is large, and is chiefly used in winter. Q. What peculiar quality has it, different from the quality of the common cabbage ? A. It is remarkable for its exceeding hardiness, and, in this respect, it stands at the head of the cab- bage family ; lor it supplies greens in such severe winters as have cut off all other supplies, — Scotch kale alone excepted. Q. When should it be sown ? A. It ought to be sown about March, April, or May, and planted out in June, July, or August respectively ; for it is essentially planted as a winter green, and is rarely much valued, except in a hard winter when nothing else is to be had, or when other vegetables are dear. Q. Does it require any particular management ? A. Like the rest of the cabbage tribe, it requires to be pricked out when young, and to be allovred to grow strong before being finally planted out ; and when planted out and growing, it should be well earthed up the stem. The plants should stand at two feet apart from each other. CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 53 Q. At what time should turnips be sown ? A. In the early spring, at Midsummer, and at ' Michaelmas ; and, if a constant supply be required in a small garden, it is better to sow a few once a month from the end of March to the end of September. While, however, in hot dry weather, you may safely dispense with turnip sowing, you may as safely sow them after a good hard day's rain. Q. Are turnips a useful crop ? :: A. There is no vegetable more wholesome than the turnip ; but, of course, the quantity sown must be determined by the wants of the family. Q. After sowing, what is required ? A. When they have grown so as to have two rough leaves, hoe them out, leaving them six inches apart ; and, in a fortnight or three weeks after, if it has been growing weather, hoe them again, to clear away the weeds, and to cut off any strairgling turnip that may not have been cut clean off at the first hoeing. Q. Of the French or kidney beans, which are preferable, — the dwarfs or the runners ? A. The dwarfs ; because, when in the seed state, they are an excellent substitute for bread or potatoes ; and because of their usefulness as a made dish when stewed, their easy culture, and the facility with which they may be kept for a number of years, when gathered and thrashed out. Q. How are they sown generally ? A. They are sown in drills, six inches apar the drill, and the drills two feet from each other ; the drill should be drawn three inches deep, the beans being laid at the bottom the proper distance, and enough earth drawn in to cover them to the E 3 54 CATECHISM OF GARDEXIXG. depth of two inches. "When thej are well up, earth should be drawn to their stems!, and thej will then only require to be kept clear of weeds until they begin to bear. Q. You think these should be used in the ripe state ? A. If they be left till ripe, and then be well har- vested, they are far more profitable than when they are eaten green ; there are, besides, many other, green vegetables at that time, that are fit to be eaten. Q. Does the ripening crop of kidney-beans require particular attention ? A. "When there is a good set of beans, and they are beginning to swell, you may pinch off the tops of the plants to prevent them from growing, and so make them throw all their strength into the seed. Q. Is any one kind preferable to others, for this mode of culture ? A. What is called the white kidney bean is the best in appearance. Q. How are the ripe beans to be cooked ? A. "When these are to be cooked, they are to be first soaked from twelve to twenty-four hours in plain water, and then to be boiled gently in water Avith a handful of salt, until they become tender. Q. "Will not the scarlet-runner bean prove as good, when in a dry state ? A. No ; but it is a much more profitable bean to grow for eating in a green state, because it is so prolific in bearing ; from tlie day when the first beans have swelled large enough to be gathered, the plant is, in fact, prolific for months. CATECHISII OF GARDENING. 55 Q. Is tlie broad bean a good vegetable for a family ? A. A row or two of tliese, in different parts of the garden, mav give a good dish of beans two or three times in the season ; and it is withal a prolific crop considering the space it occupies. Q. How is the scarlet bean best grown ? A. The beans are to be planted two inches deep and six inches apart, in a single row. If there be anv unsightly, bad fence near the place, they will hide it well. Tv'hen they are well up, and have a pair of broad leaves, draw the earth to them to support their stems as high as the seed leaf, and at once put down a row of proper bean sticks. Q. What are " bean sticks ?" A. Slender poles, ten or twelve feet high. If these cannot be had, a long line, or a series of laths, supported by upright stakes, must be fastened trans- versely, and a common packthread placed from each bean to the laths. Q. At what stage of their growth should the French or kidney beans be used as food ? A. They are to be gathered while tlie pod is still fleshy and tender, just before the beans within begin to swell. Q. How is the broad bean grown ? A. A drill must be drawn, where they are to be sown, and the beans dropped into it about six inches apart. They will require to be eartlied up, as soon as they have grown so as to have two rough leaves. When they are in full bloom, and the beans begin to set, pinch off the tops of the plants, which will cause them to throw all their nourishment into 56 CATECHISM OP GARDENING. the beans. These ought to be pretty nearly full grown, before they are gathered. Q. Is there much difficulty in cultivating the lettuce and salad herbs generally ? A. No ; the lettuce is more tender, and more likely to suffer from vermin than the hardy cabbage tribe ; but the lettuces, of various kinds, grow freely in good light soil. Q. Are they sown and transplanted ? A. It is very common to sow lettuces, radishes, and onions on the same bed ; the drawing of the onions and radishes is supposed to give room in time to the lettuce, which, in its turn, gets into growth ; and then, if some be pulled up to be planted elsewhere, those that remain are thinned sufficiently to come to a heart in their seed-bed ; while the others, if carefully removed, are little worse, perhaps something better, for the change. Q. But, if you wished to grow lettuce in any quantity, you would not do so ? A. No ; I should sow the seed early in spring, that is, in the beginning of April ; and as soon as they were large enough to be handled safely, I should plant tliem out in the open ground, not more than a foot apart every way, watering them in, and keeping them clean with the hoe, for weeds would materially injure them. The root of the lettuce does not go far into the ground, and surface weeds mate- rially check their growth. Q. Is there more than one kind of lettuce ? A. Yes ; there are the cabbage lettuces, and the cos lettuces, and many varieties of each ; the former are the hardiest, but the latter the best. Q. How is endive grown ? CATECHISM OF GARDENING. o7 A. It may be sown in April or May, and the plants pricked out, as soon as they are large enough, not more than three inches apart. To make it reach a handsome growth, there ought to be a T\^arm bank to plant it out upon ; or, what is next best, a south border. In August it may be planted out. Q. Does it require any further preparation for use ? A. When large enough for a salad, the plants have to be blanched, either by placing a flat piece of tile or board upon them, or by tying them up in the same way as you would tie lettuces ; and when the plants are white inside they are in perfection. Q. What other salads or herbs may be groAvn advantageously in a moderate garden ? A. Parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, fennel, corn salad, cress, are all useful in salads, broths, oi- soups ; and though a very few plants of eacti w^ould be sufficient for a .large family, it is well t<.> have them ready at hand. Q. How would you raise parsley ? A. From seed sown in rows nine inches apart. The young plants must be thinned as soon as they can be got hold of ; but not finally thinned to the proper distances, till it can be seen which of the plants have the best curled leaves, that they only may be left. Q. Would you raise in the same way the other kinds of small salad, -which you enumerated ? A. No ; corn salad is obtained from seed sown in short drills ; these must be drawn across a bed, over which you can easily reach for the purpose of pick- ing off the leaves which constitute the salad, the plant itself being retained in order to produce more. c 3 58 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. Sage, thyme, fennel, and indeed all other culinary herbs, have only to be raised from slips, of which one plant taken from each will produce many fresh plants. Q. What other vegetables can you expect to cul- tivate with advantage in your moderately sized garden ? A. I am not aware of any thing else important. Q. But have you included all the garden vege- tables ? A. No ; there are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and spinach, which are all good and useful in their way ; even asparagus and sea-kale are luxuries within reach of every man who has a gar- den : but none of these are essential. Q. Are they of difficult culture ? A. No. Broccoli and similar thinijs will srrow with tlie same treatment with which we rear a red cabbage or a savoy ; and the spinach may be pro- duced by seed sown in drills, thinned out to four inches apart : when large enough, it must be pulled up, the roots cut off, and the leaves boiled. Q. How are the herbs reared by slips ? A. The plants need only be torn asunder down to the bottom, and the slips planted at a foot apart : these will soon become well-rooted and healthy plants. Q. Tell me how you would manage your garden in the month of January ? A. That must depend greatly on the weather. Frost sometimes continues all through January, and the ground is covered with snow. This puts a stop to everything ; but, if it be frost only without snow, many things may be done in the garden, CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 59 Q. What, then, can be done under such circum- stances ? A. Manure may be wheeled into the parts re- quiring to be dressed, and it may be spread on the surface, being then ready to be dug in. Compost may be turned over, and if for this end you have to use a pick-axe, so much the better ; for the frozen surface will have had the benefit of the frost, and you will then expose another surface to be frozen. ' Q. Is this all that can be done in such inclement weather ? A. Advantage may be taken of inclement weather to do indoor work, such as examining seeds, thrash- ing them out, and cleaning them. Pruning also may be done in the warmer part of the day. Q. But suppose that the weather is not frosty all through the month, and that there is fine weather sometimes ? A. Then you may dig or trench up vacant places in the garden, and, if necessary, manure them. You may also plant out cabbages, if you are Hkely to want them, and a few early potatoes may be planted. If you have any peas or beans autumn-sown, you may earth them up and stir the ground between the rows. You may continue to earth up celery as it grows, and always cover tender crops at night, whether fine or frosty, because the weather may change in an hour. Q. Are there any crops to be sown in January ? A. If you are anxious for early radishes, you may sow a few on a warm border. This border must be protected with litter, which should not remain on the seeds any longer than the weather is frosty at daylight. GO CATECniSil OF GARDENING. Q. Are not peas and beans sown in January ? A. Sometimes, for the chance of an early crop ; but the profit is not equal to the risk, and there- fore it would be better not to sow them. Q. What is to be done with tender crops in severe weather ? A. They must be covered with litter, which must be fastened down to prevent it being blown away. Q. Does not this make tender crops both expen- sive and precarious ? A. Yes ; there is a great consumption of time in coverino; and uncoverino; them. Q. These are strong objections, then, to the growth of tender crops in such a garden as we have de- scribed ? A. They ought not to be grown under such cir- cumstances ; for there are many winter and spring greens that produce all the vegetables a family requires ; and, what with potatoes, carrots, and beet- root in store, cabbage plants fit to draw, cabbage sprouts ready to pick, and even winter spinach if you thought it worth growing ; there is hardly any excuse for wasting time and ground on doubtful crops. Q. What are tlie principal operations in February ? A. Digging or trenching where the crops have been gathered, leaving the surface rough or in ridges, to get the benefit of any frost ; manuring or any thing else, that may obviously be required. Q. Can anything be done to facilitate clearing the ground for these operations ? A. If you have a piece of cabbages which have been cut somewhat close, and which are only useful for sprouts, take the whole up, and plant them ver/ close together in some unimportant part of the gar- CATECniS3r OF GARDENINO. 61 den, and dung and dig up the ground wLere thev stood. If a piece of savoys has been more than half cut, a row or two may be made good with the uncut ones, and the stumps transferred to some other place for sprouts, so as to set the ground at liberty for other purposes. Q. Why do you recommend the stumps of cab- bages and savoys to be taken up and re-planted ? A. Because, although they are not worth all the room they occupied originally, they frequently afford an acceptable dish of sprouts ; besides which, they do just as well, closer together, as they do when wide apart, and in all limited gardens the space they occu- pied is an object, Q. What crops may be sown or planted in February ? A. Very few ; there is no real benefit in begin- ning these operations too early. The main crop of potatoes should, however, be planted in dry weather, during this month, and the earlier the better. Q. Are there any other operations to be done in February ? A. The same directions and remarks apply as in January. The weather is just as uncertain. Q. What should be done in March ? A. If the weather be pretty open, the sun begins to have great power, and sowing may be commenced. I should sow a few cabbages, early carrots, turnips, onions, leeks, broccoli, and, (if I intended to grow any), Brussels sprouts, radishes, savoys, beans, peas, and lettuces, but of these only a few ; also spring spinach, if I thought it desirable. Parsley too should now be sown. Q. You say you would sow a few only of these 62 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. things. Do you mean that you -would only sow a portion of what you intended ultimately to have in the ground ? A. Yes ; I would not depend on one sowing for a crop ; it would be far better in many cases to sow a part this month and a part next. It is desirable to have two sowings of almost every thing, and of some things many more even than two. Q. Are there any crops to be planted ? A. I would plant cabbage plants out, if I had any left in the seed-bed. I would also plant more pota- toes, in proportion as the ground could be spared. Q. Will these crops be early ? A. Yes ; all these crops, if the weather prove fine and other circumstances be favourable, will be fully a month earlier than those put in next month, and very nearly as early as those planted last month, or even as those put in during last autumn, if they shall have survived. Q. May not some early crops be sown thickly in autumn, and planted out in March ? A. Yes ; beans may be so treated. If they have survived the winter, they may be planted out in rows, six inches apart ; and, if you put more than one row in a place, the rows may be two feet apart ; but it is preferable to plant single rows of them in different parts of the garden. Q. How would you regulate the quantities of each crop ? A. By what might be wanted, in the first place ; — next, by the capacity of the crops for keeping ; — and by the length of time during which they are capable of giving a supply while they are on the ground, or by their value as food. CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 63 Q. Exemplify this. A. Potatoes would for these reasons have a large share of attention ; onions, perhaps, next ; for they are as wholesome and nutritious, as they are valuable for their capacity for being kept after gathering. "We may mention carrots, for their long-continued goodness as a crop, capable of being constantly drawn, and for their excellent keeping qualities as a store all the winter. Beet-root for its value in keep- Jill through the winter, forming an excellent vege- table, or a cold salad, and exceedingly wholesome and nutritious. Q. These are all root-crops. You have said no- thing of " greens ?" A. Cabbage plants would be great favourites, because they may be planted out every month in the year ; and either as coleworts or greens, (as they are called), as sprouts, or as full grown cabbages, they actually afford a supply the entire year through. Generally, I should give a large preference to those crops, which are useful to us during so many months in the year. Q. What are the necessary operations in April ? A. This must be looked upon as a month for gene- ral sowing. Sow again all the seeds recommended to be sown in March ; and let the present sowing be in larger quantities, because this may be relied on as the main crop. The sowing should include salads of all kinds ; all the cabbage tribe ; onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, beet-root, lettuce, radishes, a few turnips, celery, kidney beans, scarlet- runners, and herbs, such as parsley or others that require sowing. Q. Is there any planting to be done in April ? A. You may plant sage, thyme, mint, and other 64 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. herbs that will grow from slips. You may also plant out cabbage plants, and cabbages intended for pickling. Q. What other work is there to be done ? A. To earth up whatever crops require it ; to hoe and clear the crops that want to be thinned, and to weed all the beds. Q. Then April is a busy month ? A. Yes, if the weather prove favourable ; but if the weather be wet, we ought to abstain from doing- everything that requires us to tread on the garden ground : it is better to wait for favourable weather, than to trample on wet ground ; for trampling upon it squeezes out the wet and air, and forms it into hard lumps that take a long time to pulverize again, if the land be at all heavy. Q. Is wet the only hindrance at this season ? A. If the weather be frosty, we are equally stopped in our work during part of the day ; but the sun becomes so powerful now, that, though we have frost in the night, it is generally thawing all day. Q. Are there any crops, besides those you have named, that need be got in during this month ? A. Peas and broad beans may be sown again or not, if a supply of them in succession is thought desirable. It is an advantage certainly to follow up the first sowing of peas by successive sowings, be- cause, if there be thrice as many as are required when green, they cannot be too plentiful when dried. Peas are next in importance to bread in any thought- ful family. Q. What are the principal operations in May ? A. To hoe and thin out onions, turnips, car- rots, spinach, beet-root, and other broadcast crops CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 65 that are forward enougli ; — to weed and clear the ground all over ; — to prick out the young cabbage, savoy, and other greens, that they may gain strength fur planting out, or to plant out at once any that you observe to be strong enough for planting out. Towards the end of the month, prick out the celery plants three inches distance in a bit of rich ground, that they may get strong enough for planting out. . Q. What sowing should be done in May ? A. Sow more radish seed and more peas, if wanted ; savoy seed for a later crop ; endive, and a further succession of salad herbs ; and Scotch kale, if it be at all desired. Q. Is there any other work to be done in May ? A. Anything, that was omitted to be done in April, should be done the first week of this. The garden should be made neat and tidy in every part, and the paths weeded. Vacant spaces should be dug, dunged, trenched, and got ready for crops. Q. What is required to be done in June ? A. Hoeing is the principal labour required in June. What with the thinning out and the weeding of onions, carrots, turnips, spinach, beet-root, and parsnips, the weeding of all the crops, the earthing up of beans, peas, and other things in drills, tlie hoeing is almost incessant. All the seed beds must be thinned out ; all the cabbage tribe must be pricked out to grow stronger ; while those, which were pricked out last month, should be planted in the proper places to complete their growth. The principal crop of tur- nips must be sown this month. Potatoes may still be planted, if you can rely on the sets not having grown ; but if they have grown, do not use them ; rather be satisfied with a short crop than plant such sets. f3 66 CATECHISM OF GARDENING. Q. Is this all there is to do in June ? A. Those articles, of which a succession is re- quired, may be still sown ; for instance, salad herbs, radishes, lettuces, endive, corn salad, cress, and the like ; and the weather may be so hot as to require the aid of the watering-tub and the barrow. Pota- toes, that are up and growing, must be earthed up well. Q. Do you recommend watering generally in dry- hot weather ? A. Not unless crops are very much distressed by drought ; for watering prevents the roots of the plants from descending so vigorously after the mois- ture as they otherwise would ; and therefore it should only bo begun, when you have made up your mind to persevere in it. I would only water on the last extremity, and then, instead of merely sprinkling, as is too often done, I would literally soak the ground as much as a very heavy shower of rain would do it. Q. What are the principal operations for July ? A. In some measure a continuation of the man- agement required for June ; but there are other matters to be attended to as well ;■ — sticks or other supports must be put to the scarlet beans ; peas must also have sticks placed to them ; potatoes have to be earthed up ; the beans, that are in flower, may be topped to prevent the strength of the plant being expended in growth instead of swelling the beans. Q. Are there any crops to be planted in July ? A. A trench may be dug a spade deep and a foot wide, into the bottom of which some good rich dung maybe forked, and mixed with the under soil. Into this may be planted a row of the strongest celery plants, chosen from the bed into which they were CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 67 '* pricked " out to strengthen : the distance between each plant should be nine inches. 0. Some of the operations seem applicable to all times ; are they not so ? A. Yes ; the earthing up of crops is to be per- formed whenever thej are ready for it. Planting out of all the cabbage tribe is proper, wherever the plants are large enough, and you have room to plant •them in. Hoeing is proper, -whenever the crops want thinning, or the beds want weeding. If the weather were to be wet in July, advantage ought to be taken to plant every foot of vacant ground with the ad- vancing crops on the seed beds, or in the nursery beds in which they are pricked out. Turnips might be sown with advantage in a similar case ; for the wet makes the seed begin germinating immediatel3% ' Q. AVhat is the proper practice of the garden for August ? A. Look well to the parsley, and pull up all the plants of it that have not very curly leaves. Hoe again between all the crops, clearing away the weeds, and stirring the ground. All the cabbages and other crops planted out may be earthed up. Peas not already stuck should have the sticks placed to them. Q. What other v/ork should be attended to in August ? A. Earth should be drawn down into the celery trenches as fast as the plants advance ; and, when the trench is filled, th.e earth has to be drawn up to their stems as fast as they grow. Cabbage seed may now be sown : top the beans that are in flower, gather all kinds of ripe seed, continue planting out useful greens, and plant out leeks if you have any in the seed-bed. Some of the earliest-sown onions 68 CATECHISM OF GARDENING, require to be pulled as soon as the leaf turns yellow : many persons break down the foliage of the onions to hasten their ripening ; but this is a bad practice, and nothing is gained by it. Watering may now be necessary for some few things, particularly newly planted-out subjects. Q. How is the garden managed in September ? A. The season is getting past for many crops : early peas have done bearing, and all that have been allowed to seed, should be gathered as soon as the haulm changes colour, or the pods begin to dry. As every kind of crop is cleared, something else should be done with the ground : fill it, for instance, with win- ter greens, or dig it, leaving it rough and ready for anything you may want. Q. This is not all that has to be done in Septem- ber — is it ? A. There are other things : sow winter spinach ; take up ripe potatoes ; pull up ripened onions, and dry them on the surfiice of the ground for some time before they are stored ; earth up celery ; make everything clean by weeding ; take up carrots that are to be stored, as also beet-root. Q. September is a busy month, then ? A. It is a month, in which many crops are gathered in, especially things usually allowed to go to seed. If there be any ground vacant, plant out cabbage plants in rows one foot from each other, and the plants only six inches apart ; because they may be all drawn for bunches of greens, or some may be left at proper distances to grow to cabbage. Q. There is no sowing in September, I observe ; is it a bad month for that ? A. There would not be time for anything sown CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 69 in September to come to maturity before the winter sets in ; therefore it would be all lost time, and totally useless. Q. What is required in October ? '"A. Little or nothing but gathering in crops, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beet-root, red cabbages, and many other things ; also earthing up celery, and keeping all the crops clean. All crops planted out, such as cabbages, savoys, kale, and others — should be earthed up at some period, and the soil stirred between them. Tliis should be done as soon after they are planted out, as they begin to grow. Q. I suppose, then, that there is but little differ- ence from this time to the end of the year, in the general management of the garden ? A. Not much difference, except that some people value autumn-sowing more than others, and sow beans and peas then ; and there is the addition of planting trees, and the like. Q. What difference is there in the November management ? A. November is an important month in planting fruit-trees, making strawberry plantations, changing the places of any thing, and in making alterations in beds, paths, and edgings. Q. What trees are to be planted in November ? A. Plant apple, pear, plum, currant, gooseberry, and other fruit-trees and bushes ; and in the plant- ing out of winter greens, or the taking up crops, continue to make the most of the ground. You may now prune the bushes and trees, and train those that require it. Q. Is there any routine work ? A. Continue to hoe and earth up, particularly 70 CATECHISil OF GARDENING. celery, and generally keep all the beds, paths, and borders clear of weeds. If you sow beans at all in the fall of the year, the sooner it is done in this month the better. Q. What is to be done in December ? A. Much the same as in ISTovember. Plant all the trees you have occasion to plant ; never leave till the spring any planting which you can do this month, for there is no better time for the planting of trees, than when the leaves are all off, and the trees are at rest. Q. But planting can only be done in fine wea- ther ; what is there to be done in case the weather is unsuitable for these operations ? A. In bad Aveather, gather in manures and com- posts ; sweep up and gather in all the leaves you can procure, to rot into vegetable mould, and lose no opportunity of adding waste or refuse matters to your dunghill. Q. Now you must tell me something about fruit- trees. You have said you would plant them in November and December ; — are these the only two months in which planting may be performed ? A. No ; but they are the best months for the purpose. There is not, however, much difference in the suitableness of three or four of the early win- ter months tor that object ; that is to say, from the beginning of October, provided the weather be open. Q. Why is it that these months are the most suitable for planting fruit-trees ? A. Because they are then at rest. Trees are most at rest when the leaves fall, and they re- main at rest Avith little variation, until the buds can be seen to swell ; but from the instant the sap is CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 71 upon the move, the check given by transplanting becomes the more felt and is more injurious ; there fore I prefer November and December for moving trees of the deciduous kind, especially fruit-trees. Q. What are the particular operations concerning fruit-trees during each month ? A. November and December have been already mentioned as the best months for planting them. In January also you may plant, if it has been omitted l5efore. The last two of these months afford the best period for pruning. Q. What is to be done in the following months ? A. February, although not so good as January, will still do for planting. Pruning should, if pos- sible, have been by this time all completed. Straw- berries should be cleaned and top-dressed. In March, no more planting or removing can be done with propriety, for the check would be too great. Q. What operations are suitable for April and May? A. Early in April, train any of the shoots that have been loosened in the winter, that is, fasten them in their places on the espalier rails. If the weather be very dry, water the strawberries effec- tually. Little more will be required, during the month of May, than rubbing off with the thumb those buds that are pushing out where branches are not wanted. Q. What are the summer operations necessary for fruit-trees ? A. In June, as soon as the fruit of any tree is fairly set, thin their numbers before the general swelling of all shall have, in any way, lessened the vigour of the tree. Examine gooseberry and cur- <^ CATECHISil OF GARDENING. rant trees, and clear tliem of vermin, which often infest them at this period. In July thin all the fruit to a reasonable crop, and again carefully remove the vermin from them. Q. What operations are necessary in the autumn months ? A. During August, September, and October, the gathering of fruit is all that is required. This must be most carefully attended to, as their being kept in a sound state as long as possible, depends upon this in a great measure. Apples and pears, for keeping, should be gathered when the pips inside begin to change colour ; they are then in the best condition for keeping : they must not be bruised in the storing. Choose the middle of sunny days for the gather- ing, that the fruits may be perfectly dry, and then lay them on clean straw ; after being stored a short time, they begin to exude and ferment, on which account it will be necessary to wipe the damp off occasionally, until they cease to sweat. Q. You suppose, then, that any person who would attend to the rules and operations you have ex- plained to me, would be successful in -gardening ? A. There is no question but that any judicious and thoughtful person might make his garden pro- ductive and profitable by following these directions. They comprise all that is of any real service to him in the pursuit of this object ; and lie has, in these directions, a complete key to any further advance lie may desire to make in the art and science of gardening. FINIS. n. CLAY, PniNTER, BllKAD STBEET UILL. ^ ; • i^- "-lin-^i?-- '.tare -T- ■•> ■■'.J • '-i^fe^.i^V^K „> •• - 'd|£^